A data center may be defined as a location, for instance, a room that houses computer systems arranged in a number of racks. A standard rack, for instance, an electronics cabinet, is defined as an Electronics Industry Association (EIA) enclosure, 78 in. (2 meters) wide, 24 in. (0.61 meter) wide and 30 in. (0.76 meter) deep. These racks are configured to house a number of computer systems, about forty (40) systems, with future configurations of racks being designed to accommodate 200 or more systems. The computer systems typically dissipate relatively significant amounts of heat during the operation of the respective components. For example, a typical computer system comprising multiple microprocessors may dissipate approximately 250 W of power. Thus, a rack containing forty (40) computer systems of this type may dissipate approximately 10 KW of power.
Data centers are typically equipped with a raised floor with ventilation tiles configured to provide cool air to the computer systems from a pressurized plenum in the space below the raised floor. Conventional data centers are also typically designed to cause airflow heated by the computer systems to be returned to air conditioning units to be cooled, such that the cooled air may be used to again cool the computer systems. Oftentimes, however, the heated airflow is supplied back into the computer systems, thereby reducing the efficiencies at which the computer systems are cooled. In addition, the cooled airflow oftentimes does not flow through the computer systems, but instead, flows back into the air conditioning units, thereby reducing the efficiencies at which the air conditioning units operate.
As such, a system that increases the efficiency of air conditioning units in cooling computer systems would be desirable.